What’s cooking on Vancouver Island? Here’s a taste of what you can eat

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There’s a reason why so many top-flight chefs are quietly decamping to Vancouver Island, with diners-in-the-know following not far behind.

This rocky strip of land off B.C.’s coast not only boasts Canada’s mildest climate, it is also bursting with a bounty of exceptional ingredients: sweet seafood drawn from pristine waters, wild mushrooms and berries foraged in still-wild forests, farm produce that thrives most of the year round. Even truffles, wine, tea and citrus fruits grow here.

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True, you won’t find the kind of international flavour fusion that is so distinctly Vancouver, and you won’t find a lot of fancy-fancy restaurants. Even the most elevated dining here — at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, say, or the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria — is still pretty chill.

What you will find, though, is serious skill in the kitchen and a deep passion for everything local.

In part it’s because everyone here is so committed to supporting their neighbours, whether they are farming Japanese vegetables or fishing for Dungeness crab — after all, if you live on an island, you’d better build bridges, right?

But mostly it’s just because everything that grows here is just so darn delicious.

If it’s been a while since you’ve hopped aboard B.C. Ferries over to the Island, here’s small taste of what you’ve been missing.

In Victoria

B.C.’s provincial capital has long been known for its small, independent, chef-driven restaurants, often tucked inside charming heritage spaces. But coming out of COVID, with downtown empty of tourists and government workers hunkered down in their home offices, many struggled to survive. Some of the city’s favourites didn’t. Gone are Agrius, Canoe Brew Pub, OLO, Saveur and, most recently, Sherwood.

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But new eateries have popped up in their place, bringing with them a sea change in the city’s dining scene.

The most highly anticipated (and certainly the longest anticipated) is Marilena Café & Raw Bar, across from City Hall on Douglas Street, which was under wraps for three long years. It’s the newest restaurant from Toptable Group, which includes such celebrated high-end eateries as Elisa and Blue Water Café in Vancouver and Araxi in Whistler.

Marilena is something of a homecoming for chef Kristian Eligh, who grew up in Victoria but spent many years cooking at such Michelin-starred restaurants as Jean George in New York City, The French Laundry in Napa and Blackbird in Chicago. Most recently, he spent six years as culinary director for Vancouver-based Hawksworth Restaurant Group, where he earned Vancouver magazine’s title of Chef of the Year in 2011 and 2012.

Marilena is simply gorgeous, designed in confidently quiet luxury. Chef Eligh’s seafood-forward cuisine is more than a match, and so is the exceptional wine program, the stellar sushi bar and the terrific cocktails, not to mention the quietly attentive service. Word about town is that this is a game changer for the city and it’s easy to see why.

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It’s not the only new kid on the block, though.

Located next to Fan Tan Alley in Canada’s oldest Chinatown, there’s the tiny and thoughtful Ugly Duckling Dining & Provisions. Chef-owner Corbin Mathany describes his exquisite tasting menus as “An edible celebration of Vancouver Island. A love letter to our Chinatown home.” Dinner here begins with teensy, tender milk buns and meanders through dishes like the halibut brandade with Chinese sausage crumble or “sweet and sour” foie gras.

Over in the Hotel Grand Pacific, the gorgeous new Fathom sprawls in oceanic hues from its fabulous new four-season patio overlooking the inner harbour through the dining room where chef Peter Kim serves up a seafood focused menu to the whisky-centric lounge.

At neighbouring Inn at Laurel Point, any day now rock star pastry chef Kimberley Vy will be opening Duo Café Bakery. Everyone who lives in surrounding James Bay simply cannot wait.

Also in James Bay, chef Max Durand, formerly of Agrius and chef-owner of Eva Schnitzelhaus, has taken over Nourish Kitchen + Café, a heritage house that is home to one of Victoria’s prettiest, best-loved, vegetable-forward brunch destinations. Now chef Durand has introduced dinners as well, tapping into his French background to serve up irresistible flavours of sun-soaked Provence.

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Around Victoria

Venture a little further out of town and you’ll find even more exciting new things to dine on.

Head west to Sooke, where everyone is buzzing about the reopening of Sooke Harbour House with chef Melissa Craig at the helm. This will be something of a homecoming for Craig, who apprenticed here as a keen 18-year-old and was, until not so long ago, the celebrated chef at Whistler’s Barefoot Bistro.

It will also be a poignant rebirth for Sooke Harbour House, a pioneer of locavore dining nicknamed “Chez Panisse North” back in the day when then-owner Sinclair Philip turned this white clapboard inn on the Whiffen Spit into essential destination dining. It is a relief to see it make a comeback, especially in such careful hands, after falling on hard times.

It likely won’t open until spring, but in the meantime it’s still worth the trip to Sooke to visit tiny, perfect, award-winning Wild Mountain Food + Drink, where co-owners chef Olivier Kienast and sommelier Brooke Fader are crafting some of the most creative, thoughtful, obsessively local food on the Island.

Or head east, farther than you think possible, where you’ll find Fox & Monocle Café on the edge of a marina near Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Co-owners pastry chef Tracie Zahavich and chef Ross Bowles bring impeccable, Michelin-starred experience to this adorable French-influenced bakery-cum-bistro. If nothing else, go for the irresistibly cheesy gougères.

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Up Island

Outside of Greater Victoria, fine dining on the Island has traditionally been relegated to resorts; otherwise, it was all about chowder, fish ’n’ chips or chains. But that is changing, and fast.

Take the resorts-and-retirement communities of Qualicum, Parksville and Nanoose Bay, which are booming with young families moving in. Little wonder that Eli Brennan and Alan Tse, the owners of Water Street Café in Vancouver, spotted an opportunity to open a couple of great little eateries specializing in elevated casual fare with international influences.

Qualicum Bay Café is housed in a stylishly mid-century modern space right on the waterfront; meanwhile, the newest member of this growing group, Nanoose Bay Café, is part of the sprawlingly luxurious Fairwinds development.

Modern and sleek with a kind of upscale boathouse vibe, the restaurant (which also comprises a market and coffee shop) overlooks the marina and is an ideal destination for well-made popular fare like chopped salads, dumplings, seafood platters and pasta dishes. Plus you can always stay in the well-appointed condo next door.

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Outside of the resort communities, the Island’s resource-based-industry cities are also developing exciting culinary scenes of their own, with craft breweries like Wolf Brewing and Twin City opening in Nanaimo and Port Alberni respectively, as well as charming restaurants like Melange or La Stella Trattoria in Nanaimo and Il Falcone in Courtenay.

And then, of course, there’s the wild west coast. It’s been a tough summer for Tofino and Ucluelet — the only highway to the coast was intermittently closed due to wildfires all summer long. But it’s worth the (slightly longer) journey to savour some of the most exciting food on the Island, if not B.C.

In Tofino, the big news is the change at Tofino Resort Marina, where, after a revolving door of chefs convinced the owners to get out of the restaurant game, the town’s popular Shelter has moved in. It’s good timing, as the original Shelter location is still rebuilding after a devastating fire late last year.

And down the road, tiny Ucluelet continues to grow as a serious culinary destination, thanks in large part to the accolades showered on Pluvio Restaurant + Rooms.

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Co-owners chef Warren Barr and manager/bartender Lily Verney-Downey continue to make everything in house, from the vinegar to the crackers, with many ingredients coming from their rooftop garden or foraged from the surrounding forest and waters. Little wonder that this sweet spot was named Canada’s best destination restaurant of 2022 by Canada’s 100 Best.

It’s definitely worth the journey. But then, so is every delicious place on this beautiful island.

Recipe: Dungeness Crab Dip with Toasted Sourdough

Dungeness crab is one of Marilena Café & Raw Bar chef Kristian Eligh’s favourite Island ingredients, and crab dip is one of his favourite ways to serve it — especially this lighter, brighter, altogether more sophisticated variation on the dip that could take pride of place on any table. Excerpted from Island Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari (Figure 1 Publishing). Recipe copyright © 2021 by Toptable Victoria, Kristian Eligh.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 (1 1/2-lb) whole Dungeness crabs or 14 oz fresh crabmeat, well-drained and picked of shells or cartilage

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1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, finely chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

8 cups spinach leaves

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup grated mozzarella

2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan

1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp salt

Sliced sourdough, to serve

1 tsp olive oil, for drizzling

2 tsp chopped chives, for garnish

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

If you’re starting with fresh whole crabs, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add whole crabs and cook for 9 1/2 minutes. Transfer crabs to a large bowl of ice water to cool down.

Remove the whole main shell (the carapace) from each crab in one piece so they can be used to serve the dip. Using a butter knife, scrape membranes from the inner walls of the shells. Rinse shells under hot water to remove all innards, then continue to clean and scrape the inside of the shell until clean.

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the shells and boil for 5 minutes to sterilize. Reserve until needed.

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Extract meat from the crabs. You should be left with 2 cups of crabmeat. Reserve.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir often to avoid any colour on the leeks or garlic. Add Old Bay and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, then add cream cheese and sour cream and stir until well mixed and cream cheese has melted. Transfer to a large bowl, then refrigerate until cool.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain again, then squeeze spinach into a ball, extracting excess water. Finely chop spinach.

Take the leek and cream cheese mixture out of the fridge. Add spinach, Tabasco and lemon zest and juice. Stir in mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley and salt and mix well. Gently fold in crabmeat and evenly disburse while taking care not to break up large chunks of crab. (The dip can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Divide crab dip between the cleaned shells or transfer to a casserole dish and spread out evenly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Place sourdough on a baking sheet and lightly toast for 3 minutes.

Remove crab dip from oven and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with chives, then serve immediately with toasted sourdough and lemon wedges.

NOTE: This recipe is excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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